Pliable, pragmatic and powerless, Cooper is an ideal head coach for Town’s current structure, says Alex Cooke. Mark Cooper is the perfect manager for Swindon Town precisely because he has no reputation, no great history and no obvious footballing philosophy. He is a journey-man manager with coaching experience thrust into one of his biggest ever jobs but no cache to
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How Swindon’s progressive football was spoiled by Stevenage and what Mark Cooper needs to do to prevent it happening every week, by Alex Cooke. Swindon dominated Stevenage: For 45 minutes, Town’s football spoke a new freedom for the men in red, of collective effort, of complexity hidden in the simplicity of angles. And yet, in the second half the plodding,
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Leon Clarke, Dany N’Guessan, Wes Thomas, Nile Ranger or someone very different? Alex Cooke looks at what type of striker suits Town’s 433. Swindon Town seem to have a problem scoring goals at the moment. Some choose to blame the 433 system, many blame the lone, central striker: Andy Williams. But what can be done? Chairman Jed McCory has stated
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TheWashbag contributor Alex Cooke looks ahead to the 2013/14 season… What are your hopes and expectations for Swindon in 2013/14? Hope? Stability. All of the club’s costs become predictable – with no lawsuits, pay offs, tribunals or extra emergency concert underwriting. That way any income the club actually gets can be used by the club for the benefit of the
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He may have scored 18 goals in 2012/13, including a hat trick at Stoke City and four against Portsmouth, but Swindon Town have allowed their top scorer James Collins join Hibernian for £200,000. Ron Smith and Alex Cooke ask whether Town should have let the striker leave? James Collins only joined Swindon last summer in what transpired to be an
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Swindon’s managerless team of Spur’s frees and loanees is the youngest since Lou Macari was in charge with an average age of just 23.77, but Alex Cooke finds Town have won with kids, just not back to back. Swindon manager Bert Head arranged a trial match shortly before the 1960-61 season. He had two sides – the Probables and the
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Alex Cooke takes a look back at the pattern of play in one of the most fascinating games played at the old Wembley – Swindon Town v Leicester City. One theme written throughout this bout nostalgia has been the comment that ‘it doesn’t feel like 20 years’ since Swindon won at Wembley. Not to me it doesn’t. Watching Swindon 4,
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Alex Cooke has decided to have some calm down time, why don’t you..? You are on a beach, a beautiful sunny beach. The warm sea laps gently at your toes. The drink in your hand is perfectly chilled. All you can hear are the calls of birds singing in the shady trees. Breathe in. Hold it. And breathe out. There.
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From halving the wage bill, releasing Simon Ferry and giving deals to five scholars, Jed McCory’s Swindon board are keen on building a younger, cheaper squad, but outside forces are also pushing every Football League club that way, says @STFConly. We all know now the years of spending at Swindon are over. Regardless of which figure you take, from BBC
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Alex Cooke looks at the hair, the pants and the departure of Swindon Town’s long-serving player, who was told he would be released on Thursday. Swindon crowds have their favourites. They love down-the-line wingers, they love blood-and-thunder triers, they love goalscorers. Simon Ferry was none of these things and yet, there are few in recent times to receive such universal
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